Massad Boulos, father-in-law to Tiffany Trump, referred to Hezbollah’s preferred presidential candidate in Lebanon as a “friend” in remarks made to the Associated Press earlier this year.
According to Newsweek, Boulos, a billionaire businessman with connections in Lebanon, is also reported to have previously engaged with Lebanese Christian political factions allied with Hezbollah’s political wing. This association underscores the complex political landscape in Lebanon, where alliances often cross-sectarian and ideological lines.
WATCH: Trump’s Coordinator on Arab Relations Massad Boulos: “Trump won the popular vote in ‘a big red wave’ and we dedicate this victory to the entire world because it will end all the wars that are going on, in Gaza, Lebanon, and Ukraine…”
Boulos told Lebanon’s… pic.twitter.com/rMIl9f7a8V
— Ariel Oseran (@ariel_oseran) November 6, 2024
Boulos is credited with delivering the swing state of Michigan to the Trump campaign. And although his familiarity with Hezbollah-controlled Lebanese politicians is part of how routine business is done in the Land of Cedar Trees, we must expect Boulos to remain a close Trump confidant, which means that Trump will be regularly exposed to Hezbollah’s take on the war in southern Lebanon.
During the summer of 2024, Massad Boulos spearheaded initiatives aimed at getting support for Trump from Arab American voters. He engaged with community leaders in Michigan to discuss the sentiments of individuals who were, at that time, disillusioned with President Joe Biden’s stance on Israel.
Trump’s win in Michigan deprived Harris of her path to 270 electoral votes, and the President-elect does not forget those who helped him win. Asked about his new grandchild being half-Lebanese, Trump said, “I love it.” So, now the President of the United States will have Jewish and Arab sons-in-law and grandchildren. This is a far cry from President Trump whose first act in office back in 2017 was to launch the mass deportation of US residents from Muslim countries.
Massad Boulos, Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law, on Sky News:
Trump wants the wars in Gaza and Lebanon to be over. “But first, whatever military targets they need to achieve, they need to achieve them very quickly.” pic.twitter.com/XBjG1JkIu8
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) November 3, 2024
WHO IS MASSAD BOULOS?
Massad Boulos is Boulos Enterprise’s CEO, as well as the CEO of the SCOA Nigeria conglomerate. His son, Michael Boulos, is married to Tiffany Trump and is described as the billionaire heir to Boulos Enterprises.
According to Harper’s Bazaar, Michael Boulos was born in Lebanon and relocated to Lagos, Nigeria, at a young age. His family operates Boulos Enterprises, a Lebanese-based firm specializing in the distribution, assembly, and trade of motorcycles, bicycles, and outboard motors.
In 1979, when the government of Nigeria banned imports of completely built motorcycles, the Boulos firm became the leading motorcycle seller in the country.
President-Elect Donald J. Trump announced in early September that his youngest daughter, Tiffany Trump, was expecting her first child.
“She’s going to have a baby, so that’s nice,” Trump remarked at the Detroit Economic Club in Michigan.
Trump praised his daughter as a “very exceptional young woman” and her husband as a “very exceptional young guy,” sharing the news before an audience that included Massad Boulos.
Tiffany, 31, and Michael, 27, were married at Mar-a-Lago in November 2022.
ARAB-AMERICAN POLITICS
The NY Times credits Massad Boulos with delivering the Michigan vote to Trump on Tuesday. The Times’ Charles Homans reported from Dearborn, Michigan, that Boulos the elder organized a backstage meeting between Trump and Belal Alzuhiry, a Yemeni American cleric, who protested the former president’s description of Yemeni immigrants as “known terrorists” at a rally. According to the report, Trump listened for 15 minutes to the cleric’s complaints and then said, “I made a mistake and I apologize for it.”
According to Homans, Trump is already being influenced by Boulos when it comes to US-Israel relations, noting that despite Trump’s long friendship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Boulos has garnered the support for Trump of prominent critics of Israel in Michigan, including an activist who described Israel’s military actions in Gaza as genocidal.
During an interview, Boulos recognized that persuading Michigan Arab American voters to refrain from supporting Kamala Harris might be sufficient for Trump to secure victory in the Great Lake State. “We don’t have to win over everybody,” Boulos said. “There are some that strongly believe that they wouldn’t vote for either of the major candidates. That’s fine with us.”
His strategy won.
